Op-Ed: Misrata Military Council criticizes Libyan unity government

Misrata Military Council together with the Union of Revolutionaries in the city demanded that the UN-brokered Government of National Accord make its position clear on the situation in Benghazi and Khalifa Haftar whom they call a war criminal.

Troops loyal to ex-general Khalifa Haftar, during a demonstration in Benghazi, on August 14, 2015

Abdullah Doma, AFP/File

Misrata is the city in western Libya which provided most of the brigades of Al-Bunyan Al-Marsoos (BAM) which carried out the offensive against the Islamic State and ultimately liberated the city of Sirte their last stronghod in Libya. While opposed to the Islamic State many support the Islamists within the Benghazi Shura Council of Jihadists which is also a foe of Haftar in Benghazi. Field Marshall Haftar is the commander of the Libyan National Army(LNA), the armed forces of the Al-Thinni government associated with the House of Representatives(HoR) based in Tobruk in the east. Haftar does not recognize the GNA and his Operation DIgnity started in May of 2014 is designed to rid Libya of any Islamists who are opposed to him including the Benghazi Shural Council along with the Islamic State in Benghazi. He also opposes many of the militia who supprt the GNA for now. Haftar is also besieging the city of Derna run by the Derna Shura Council, Islamists instrumental in driving the Islamic State out of the city.

The Council met with commanders of Misrata military brigades. The group also demanded that the National Oil Corporation(NOC) state its position on the use of oil ports by Haftar forces for military attacks against GNA-associated forces. The complaints come after a strike by Haftar forces targeted members of the group in the south near the town of Sebha. One attack targeted a C-130 aircraft carrying a delegation from Misrata to Al-Jufra. Colonel Ibrahim Al-Mai was wounded in the attack and his right arm had to be amputated. Failure of the NOC to clarify its position could result in the NOC being a partner in Haftar's killing of Libyans the group said. Military sources claimed that the fighter that attacked the Al-Jufra airbase came from the oil port of Ras Lanuf one of four ports captured by Haftar back in September last year.

The Presidency Council of the Libyan Government of National Accord appears to be in disarray. Recently Serraj the head voided a number of decisions of Fathi Al Majburi PC deputy prime minister who made a number of decisions while Serraj was away without calling together the entire Presidential Council. Al Majburi is said to be unhappy with the decision and to have stormed a meeting of Serraj with the UN envoy Martin Kobler according to a recent tweet. The deputy head of the PC Mousa Kouni recently resigned citing the failure of the group to achieve its aims and claiming that the Libya Political Agreement (LPA) was impossible to implement. To make matters worse a recent tweet said that the spokesperson of the southern-pbased Third Force, Mohammed Qaliwan has resigned because of lack of support from the UN-brokered GNA government. Meanwhile UN envoy Martin Kobler continues to repeat his tired refrain about implementing the LPA in a tweet: " @KoblerSRSG from #Tripoli: it's time to implement the LPA & move ahead and to put the interest of #Libya people above every other interest." However Kobler now seems to have changed his tune about amendments being made to the LPA as a tweet reports: "UN envoy Martin Kobler: "Only Libyans can decide whether to make amendments to the political agreement. #Libya "